PeoriaStory

Kiese Laymon at WIU

MACOMB, IL -- African-American writer Kiese Laymon spoke at Western Illinois University on Nov. 29, and read from his forthcoming memoir Heavy.

Laymon is the author of a novel, Long Division, which has won many awards, and of a collection of essays, How to Slowly Kill Yourself. His work has appeared in many publications including Esquire, The Guardian, and The Los Angeles Times.

His memoir Heavy and a novel, And So On will be published by Scribner this year and in 2018.

The chapter Laymon read from Heavy presents the perspective of a young black teenager who first encountered whites in an integrated school, and the many differences between black and white cultures. He said he had only known white people from popular culture, especially TV. "None matched the real white folks we met," he said.

Here is a recording of his talk:

Download WIU Nov 29

- Elaine Hopkins

 

Sexual misconduct: shades of gray

PEORIA, IL -- See UPDATE on Dec. 7 below.

What to realize about sexual misconduct of the good guys as well as the bad.  Here are my reactions and practical advice:

1. Rape is a crime and the police should be called. Save the evidence.
2. Frequent inappropriate touching is very annoying and should be reported to a superior.  Get the free recorder app on your phone and turn on the recorder as you enter the pig's office. That's evidence.  Save all text messages, emails etc.
3. Occasional or infrequent touching -- it depends.  If it's a guy you otherwise like, talk to him.  If it's a politician or media person who supports women, talk to him, don't report him and cause him to be fired. If it's Roy Moore or Donald Trump, enemies of women, out him, with evidence.
4. Don't be greedy hoping for a big payout.

There's a reason for the weird procedure Congress uses, as reported in USA Today.  It's because elected officials fear someone will try to set them up, for a payout or to support an opponent. That's something everyone should also consider, including educators and business people.

Smart guys keep the door open or another female in the room, like doctors do.

There seems to be some hysteria taking place -- was Garrison Keillor really fired for touching a woman's back? That's nuts.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

UPDATE 12/7/2017:  OK, the hysterical pack has ousted a chief supporter of women, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota.  A Democrat.  There's no guarantee that a Demo will replace him in purple Minnesota.  Way to go, Demo idiots.

Yes, what he did was bad.  Nobody wants to be kissed without permission. But he was a strong supporter of women. He should have refused to resign until Trump does. 

It's the same story with former Pres. Clinton -- that was consent, and perhaps a set up, yet there are hysterical calls for him to shame himself.

Meanwhile the GOPers stand strong, and deny, deny, deny.  Justice Clarence Thomas, Pres. Trump, and likely Roy Moore -- they're not punished by their supporters as Franken was.  Why? Because the GOP hates women and doesn't care about their feelings, and apparently their officials can get away with strong denials, even against evidence.

Very sad. So contraception and abortion and women's health hang by a thread, because a few women felt violated and want their moment of power and fame. Ugh.

And this won't be a cultural change until the GOP changes. So it's all for nothing today.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

UPDATE Dec. 9, 2017:  Here's a fascinating story about Garrison Keillor.  Be sure to read the comments.

Dirty Dancing: A Mixed Bag

PEORIA, IL -- The musical Dirty Dancing  opened on Nov. 28 at the Peoria Civic Center theater, and plays again on Nov. 29. "A cornball hit with a touch of sleaze," was the way one wag described it.

It has a few moments of fine dancing, in Dancing With the Stars style. It has long moments of tedium, moments that should have been cut. Too many five second scenes and way too many scene changes show the plot of this play needs serious work.

This show has never been on Broadway. (So what is it doing on the Civic Center's Broadway series?)  And it's certainly no West Side Story.

It has the bones of a good play: sex, class conflict, idealism. But the music is undistinguished at best, a mish-mash of 1960s-era pop hits, sung with no apparent reason as the predictable plot rolls along. 

How predictable?  The lead female dancer has an abortion and regrets it. Boo hoo. How much more interesting would the show have been had she rejoiced that she was no longer pregnant.  The lead male dancer, a working class guy, is falsely accused of theft. Better if he really had done it. Two black performers sing African American anthems. Instead why not have someone sing the Internationale?  And so on....

Why was there no original music with this show?  Why wasn't there a plot doctor and a script doctor?  What worked in the film doesn't work well on stage.

The top three dancers have ballet training, according to their program bios, and it shows. And the non-Actors Equity cast is competent, though not brilliant.

The band playing the music is terrific, and does its best to punch up this dud of a show. The sound system in the Civic Center was its usual mess, with some of the talk difficult to understand.  Why can't the Civic Center get rid of the muddy microphone sound system?

Well, here's a change: Everyone's bags were searched going into the theater. (Were they worried about rotten tomatoes?) But once inside, season ticket holders were offered free coffee, lemonade and cookies. How's that for class conflict!

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Sex-ed, and other issues

PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria District 150 School Board heard several citizens back the district's comprehensive sex education program, during public comments at the Nov. 27 meeting. Other backers were in the audience.

One of those that commented, Katie Jones, emailed a copy of her words, which are attached below.

The people all wanted the comprehensive and science-based curriculum to continue.  The also supported the district's op-out program, instead of an op-in system.

The Journal Star had good coverage of this issue and the meeting, with both stories here.

But it omitted an interesting issue.  The Board's financial expert advised that the board sell tax exempt bonds before the end of the year, as the changing tax laws likely will omit this helpful way to sell bonds.  The change, if it occurs, will affect schools, colleges, hospitals and other 501c3 organizations, he said.

The sale will save the school district $100,000 to $125,000 a year in interest costs, he said.

The board set a Dec. 18 special meeting to vote on the bond sales.

(My take: Thanks, Trump and your GOP pals for screwing organizations that help many people.)

Back to the comments. Sharon Crews commented on a proposed year round school proposal, saying that it has not worked in other school districts.  She favors summer school for extra credit or remedial studies for those that have failed. Her remarks are also attached below.

Activist Terry Knapp also supported summer school. He said only 4 percent of Manual High School students were shown by tests to be ready for college, and the figure was only 13 percent for Peoria High School.  "We pass then on," he said. 

He then criticized the Valeska Hinton pre-school, a free program that allows one-third of the children from affluent homes, on the theory that children from low income homes need to mix with them.  "We take care of certain people in this community," he said.  No research has been done to show what percentage of these children graduate from high school, he said.

"Administrators should know this. It's unbelievable to spend two years on this when the research has already been done," he said.

Here is a recording of the comments.

Download D150 Nov. 27

- Elaine Hopkins 

Here are the comments of Katie Jones:

Dear Fellow Parents, Superintendent Kherat, Peoria Public Schools Board members, and most of all, dear youth of our community,

It is an honor to address this audience on the topic on why we stand behind the DASH program for comprehensive sexual health education for Peoria Public Schools.

As a mother of four, I am so proud of our Peoria public schools for implementing comprehensive sexual health education (finally!!) A quick glance at the rates of sexually transmitted infections by county in Illinois will reveal the dubious "why" behind the need for comprehensive sexual health education. 

Recently, the question of transparent access to the curriculum was raised. The families I have informally surveyed have experienced no problems accessing the detailed curriculum information when it was presented to us. In fact, the curriculum was discussed on the school’s Facebook page, and we even talked about the importance of the curriculum in the schools PTO meeting when it came up.

I value the opinions of all parents and welcome others’ perspectives, however different from my own. I think that an *opt out* means for choosing a student's participation is best. For 15+ years, I have specialized in health education programs, including those provided in schools, and, from my professional perspective, this is the best, most appropriate format for this particular program.

Anyone interested in defending an about face on that policy should come with research that demonstrates the value of taking a different approach. As a participant in the Peoria City County Health Department’s Reproductive Health committee, we are working with people from all faiths and backgrounds to build understanding and consensus on how to best support our community.

Employees of public schools are encouraged to manage their personal value systems when they conflict with public health initiatives such as that which we have in our district.

My experience, by and large in Peoria Public Schools is that my kids' teachers and principals have embraced our family not *in spite* of my sexual orientation but precisely *because* of who I am and how I stand up for what I believe is right.

That is what makes us great as Americans. Our Catholic guidance counselor at Richwoods has been like a member of the family over the years, guiding our family through the ups and downs of high school and college preparation -- and never once have I felt that we were judged as members of the LGBT community.

I expect nothing less from any teachers or administrators. Period, end of story. Thank you, Dr. Kherat and Mr. Elliott, for setting that tone and bearing that standard, and thank you, Patti Simmons, for living out your faith in this way.

I am a certified health educator through my church in our program that has been developed by the Universalist/Unitarian and United Church of Christ congregations.  In the Our Whole Lives program (OWL), we provide supplemental health education to our members through our church so that our children grow up not being afraid of how they are perceived by those who believe differently.

 We protect our youth in this way -- because we believe that this is the responsible thing to do. All families are invited to do the same, aligned with their religious beliefs. Many churches provide this type of counsel through parish nursing, all different and unique to their faith.

The Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance reminds us that LGBTQ youth are six times more likely to die by suicide then their similarly aged cohorts. This dire statistic speaks to the need for comprehensive sex education that teaches children that they are *all worthy* and no one should feel a victim to other people's degrading or condescending beliefs.

We should consider that when we consider the benefits of teaching youth about what it means to be LGBTQ. Sadly, I can introduce you to some parents who wish that their child had been educated about their wholeness prior to their child's suicide. Check out the Trevor Project to learn about nationwide life-saving efforts aimed at this population and contact 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

As a healthcare advocates, we state clearly without apology:  We will not be demonized, and we will not allow others in positions of power to denigrate our status or scapegoat us.

The AIDS crisis is a terribly appropriate demonstration of what happens when a vulnerable segment of society is neglected or maligned. We are not going back to healthcare policies of the 1980s.

We have learned too much, and we have assumed agency in our communities, and we will not abide by it. We value all parents' opinions, but do not abide by anyone in the public sphere paid for by taxpayers' contributions to our public schools, using their power and privilege to malign my family or make a transgender individual to feel less than.

We hope that individuals speak up in such a way that the families of our community do not feel ostracized or undermined by anyone's religious beliefs but rather that they enjoy full citizenship in their community.

Talking Points re CSE vs AOP in PSD 150 11.27.17

The Peoria Healthcare Coalition is a grassroots collective comprised of multiple social service agencies, non-profit organizations and healthcare providers including the Peoria NAACP, Interfaith Alliance of Central Illinois, Central Illinois Friends, ABT Progressive Peoria, the Universalist/Unitarian Social Impact Committee, the Peoria City County Health Department, Peoria Proud, and more.  Our coalition supports the policy and practice of Peoria Public Schools to implement comprehensive sexual health education in the schools as determined by the science-based curriculum chosen by the public health experts implementing the programs. 

The argument for this stance is simple.  Research shows that comprehensive sex education (CSE) 1. helps youth to delay onset of sexual activity, 2. reduces the frequency of activity, 3. reduces number of sexual partners, and 4. increases condom and contraceptive use hence reducing STIs and unplanned pregnancies. These studies have also shown that these youth participating in CSE programs are not more likely to become sexually active, not more likely to increase sexual activity and are less likely to experience negative sexual health outcomes.

The argument against abstinence only education is equally clear. Public health experts agree:  1. For 20 years, the federal government has invested over $1.5 billion dollars on abstinence only sex education programs, and 2. tragically, these programs have been proven by multiple independent research studies to be ineffective.

To be more statistically specific, youths who received comprehensive sex education were 50% less likely to get pregnant compared to those who received “abstinence only” education.  According to the national campaign to end teen and unplanned pregnancy, two thirds of the CSE programs had the following reports: 40% delayed sex initiation, 30% reduced frequency of sex, and 60% reduced unprotected sex.

As parents and caregivers of the youth involved in this program, we advocate for CSE programs because they teach our youth to:

• Delay sex until they are ready. 
• Understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. 
• Understand, value, and feel autonomy over their bodies. 
• Respect others’ right to bodily autonomy
• Show dignity and respect for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. 
• Protect their academic success. 

Here is the data for the abstinence only programs (AOP)

• students who participated in AOP were no more likely to abstain from sex than other students
• no positive changes in sexual behavior over time
• youths did not decrease their number of partners over time
• STI rates did not decrease
• pregnancy rates did not decrease

Our local experience in Peoria County is an attestation to this. The school district has been teaching abstinence only sex education until recently. Our local data speaks for itself in that Peoria County has the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of gonorrhea and the second highest rate of chlamydia. We refuse to allow our community to continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.

Because all families, regardless of zip codes or race or ethnicity deserve access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare and clear, science-based programs, we stand with the district and CSE. - 30 -

And here are the comments of Sharon Crews:

I gave you data detailing the failure of year-round school in 16 districts in 16 cities in ten states.  All tried what you are contemplating and some already returned to a traditional calendar by the year 2000.  A primary reason for objecting to year-round school was that there is no time for summer school where students can take additional courses to advance their education, to gain extra credits, and to make up classes that they have failed during the regular school year.  On a year-round calendar, breaks have usually been used only for remediation interventions.  When will you offer remediation and the programs you currently offer in the summer? 

Critics of remediation interventions held during the breaks in year-round school make these negative claims:

A three-week period is insufficient time to deal with a child’s academic problems.

The interventions are usually optional and, therefore, not well attended.

Researchers say that interventions are too little too late and that it is better to address learning problems immediately in Saturday classes or with after-school tutoring—plus summer school for making up classes, etc.

Overall evaluations of year-round school include these negatives:

A Texas study found “no significant difference in achievement scores” for year-round students vs. traditional calendar in a 1980 study. 

The results of a study in Hawaii in1994 did not demonstrate significant score increases across the years in any of the content areas.

In Louisiana 9 out of 10 teachers wanted to return to a traditional calendar because the intervention efforts were unsuccessful.

A two-year study of test scores for 345,000 North Carolina third through eighth-graders showed no evidence of academic superiority of the year-round calendar.

Fresno, California, reported staffing and space problems created by a year-round calendar.

One California district reported that the year-round school year was 17 days shorter than the traditional year.

According to a Florida study, the year-round calendar produces an alarming number of latchkey children, whose parents, rather than losing their jobs, leave their children home alone.  The NAACP in Wake County, North Carolina, expressed concern over child care problems.

After a three-year experiment with year-round school, Nye County in Nevada returned to a 9-month calendar, citing high costs and lack of educational benefit.

One study suggests that it’s possible that the frequent breaks in a year-round calendar hurt academic performance.

People with more privilege and political clout don’t want their children in these schools.

Nye County in Nevada ended its year-round program because it cost roughly $740,000 a year more to operate it.

My questions include:

Peoria teachers often use summers to take college classes or to work—what consolation are you offering them?

How would Peoria schedule athletic and other extra-curricular activities with schools with traditional calendars?

I was, of course, pleased to learn that so many districts value summer school as much as I do—again, as reinforced by these studies, our students will never have opportunities for reinforcing their educational opportunities without summer school. - 30 -

 

Tax Scam Protest Nov. 27

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

              

INDIVISIBLE PROTEST OF CONGRESSIONAL TAX REFORM BILLS, on NOV. 27

            IndivisiblePeoriaArea ( IL.) calls on everyone to join a mass protest of the proposed Congressional tax ‘reform’ bills at 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 27 outside the federal courthouse at 100 NE Monroe at Jefferson streets in Peoria, IL.

The event is part of the national Indivisible’s Day of Action on the so-called tax reform bills.

The proposed tax bills in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate raise taxes on the middle and working classes and take funds away from the organizations they depend on such as Medicare, to fund tax cuts for rich people and large corporations.

We will not stand for this!

Bring signs, musical instruments, drums, and other protest materials to the event. Hear speeches and speak out on these unfair and disastrous bills, to stop them.  Live streaming is welcome.

http://act.indivisible.org/event/local-actions/search/

www.trumptaxscam.org

 

 

Second City: second rate, or lower

EAST PEORIA, IL -- The Second City comedy troop from Chicago performed on Nov. 25 at Illinois Central College's Performing Arts Center auditorium. Billed as the "Non-Denominational Christmas Show" it should have been refreshingly funny. It wasn't.

The 19th century English actor Edmund Kean reportedly said on his death bed, "dying is easy, comedy is hard." Oh yes. 

'Lame' is the perfect word for this Second City show. Among the problems:

1. The skits were not really funny.  Nor were they well written.
2.  Most of the actors/performers talked too fast, and did not speak slowly or enunciate properly, so much of what they said was incomprehensible. (Why weren't these actors trained before they were sent out to perform?)
   
3. The auditorium is fine but too big for actors without microphones. And they were not using them, again making what they were saying unintelligible.
4. Most of the actors were not dressed well -- especially the females. This was a show, not a classroom. An all-black top and pants doesn't cut it on a stage.
5. There were no sets, just a few chairs. Boring.
   
6. A pianist accompanied the skits, and sometimes drowned out the dialogue.
7. But mostly the show just wasn't funny.  

Of interest was a take on the "Twelve Days of Christmas," with the lyrics a satire on Trump's year. "On his first day in office Trump tweeted to me... " witchhunt, fake news, etc.  Mildly amusing, though it got loud applause from the audience (good). 

The Second City has produced some of the finest comics and talents in show biz history.  But this traveling group was so second rate that we left during the intermission. There's no point in sitting through a comedy show that isn't funny, that is, what we could hear of it. Sad.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

How to defeat Trump

PEORIA, IL -- All the street protests and petitions likely won’t change what Trump and his GOP pals want, including legislation terrible for the public.  The way to stop Trump is for Democrats to take both houses of Congress in the 2018 elections.

On Nov. 20, US Rep Steny Hoyer, the Democratic Whip (who rounds up the votes) in the House, met with Peoria Democrats supporting Cong. Cheri Bustos, of the 17^th Illinois District, and talked about politics.

Hoyer predicted that Democrats will take back the House. He cited polls showing Republican House members losing to generic Democrats, as well as the recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and even Maine, where voters wanted the Medicaid expansion which the “Trump-like” governor opposes.

He thinks the Democrat Doug Jones will win the Senate seat in Alabama over the GOP nominee Roy Moore, whose record includes allegedly molesting a 14-year-old.

On the tax cut bill, Hoyer said every Democrat voted against it. “It’s bad for the country,” he said. Only the rich will benefit, he said, and the rest may see tax increases.

“We need to take back our country.  Our values are at risk,” he said.

As for jobs, the Trump administration created 326,000 fewer jobs than Obama did in the same time period a year ago, he said.

Hoyer praised Bustos, saying she “is one of the most effective members of Congress.”

He added, “We need to be able to talk to middle America, not just the east and west coasts.”  Bustos gets that, he said.

“We’ve got a leader (Trump) who doesn’t get it,” he said, and was elected as a result of “anger and fear.” 

“Hillary would have been a terrific president, but she didn’t connect” well, he said.  Actually I don’t believe that. Her candidacy was smeared by right wing opponents, Russian fake ads, e.g. lies, voter suppression in key states, and the fact of her gender.  And she did win 3 million more votes than Trump.

Hoyer was friendly, and an effective speaker. Bustos was reelected last year in a district that Trump won. Now she faces a wealthy Galesburg businessman as a GOP opponent for 2018. She represents half of Peoria, the Democratic half, and is in town frequently, in touch with her voters.  

• -- Elaine Hopkins

Great music

PEORIA, IL --Once again, music has proved to be the most interesting and top art form in central Illinois.

A Nov. 19 concert, featuring the Bradley (University) Community Chorus and Symphony Orchestra presented two challenging and beautiful classical works, Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, and Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42, As the hart longs for flowing streams.  (A hart is a deer.)

The Haydn was sung in Latin, and the Mendelssohn in German, with helpful translations in the program.

According to the program notes, the Haydn Mass was composed in 1796 while Napoleon’s armies were marching toward Vienna, near Eisenstadt where Haydn lived. The piece ends with “a gripping cry for peace.”

Haydn was a teacher of Beethoven.  If immortality is your goal, become a classical music composer.

Both works were beautifully done, and the acoustics in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception were wonderful.  Professional soloists added even more to the performances.

And to those who think classical music is out of fashion, think again.  The large Cathedral was almost full, with only a few scattered seats remaining.  The audience gave the program a standing ovation, richly deserved.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

History and sex: District 150 School Board hears it all

PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria District 150 School Board got a history lesson and a complaint about sex ed from people who commented at the Nov. 13 board meeting.

The history lesson was from Sharon Crews, who has researched the schools, who they were named for, and even when they were integrated in 1872.

Terry Knapp praised the Manual school band in the Veteran's Day parade, and advocated for a return to summer school instead of a year around school schedule.

But it was teacher Hedy Elliott-Gardner who made news when she criticized the district's progressive sex education program.  In effect, she was saying it's not age-appropriate though she didn't use that term.

She also asked for a change to an op-in system instead of an op-out system the district now uses.  Thirty parents have opted out, school officials said.

Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat responded that "we don't have the staff for an opt-in piece," and the opt-out system is "more efficient."

Regarding the curriculum, she said "things have changed.  We have to teach sexual health."  The lessons, though, can be adjusted, she said.

Peoria has one of the highest teen pregnancy and youth STD rates in Illinois.

Here is a recording of the comments:

Download D150 Nov. 13 17

- Elaine Hopkins

AMT sues blogger who needs a lawyer

PEORIA, IL -- A Peoria blogger has been sued for more than $50,000 in damages for posts on a Facebook page, in a civil lawsuit filed in Peoria County Circuit Court by AMT, Advanced Medical Transport of Central Illinois.

Blogger Zack Teague, 31, said the Facebook page was set up for his blog page, under a former address, and he doesn’t know who posted the comments and cartoon-style pictures which AMT officials claim are defamatory. It’s not his personal Facebook page, he said.

He said he has tried to have the posts taken down but has not succeeded.  

The lawsuit claims the posts are not just opinion, though if the case continues, that would be a legal issue to be resolved.   The posts accuse AMT of being a profiteer with blood on its hands, among other issues.

AMT’s CEO, Andrew Rand, is also the chairman of the Peoria County Board. AMT is a not-for-profit organization owned by Peoria’s three major hospitals. 

This lawsuit poses many questions, chief among them why AMT didn’t contact Teague and ask him to take down the posts. He said Rand never contacted him.

Teague said he has no money to hire a lawyer, and has been studying the law to defend himself.  His 30 days to respond to the lawsuit expires on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day.

 Another issue: why sue a guy without the money to hire a lawyer, for a Facebook post that few people likely will see?  Is this meant to intimidate AMT’s critics?  If so, it worked on me, as I am not putting a link to the page here.

Meanwhile, is it time to ditch Rand as board chairman, for throwing his weight behind such a ridiculous lawsuit?

Or is the AMT law firm manipulating AMT to get extra fees? If that’s the case, why not sue Facebook, where the deep pockets reside?

Then there are the facts. Does AMT really want to have to prove that it doesn’t make a profit, and that none of its patients have ever died?

This reminds me of the infamous Twittergate incident a few years ago, which cost Peoria $500,000 when Mayor Jim Ardis sent police to arrest a guy who mocked him on Twitter.  The ACLU sued over free speech issues, and the city lost that case and its good reputation after it was ridiculed everywhere for what Ardis did.   Stay tuned.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

UPDATE 12/12/2017:  Zack Teague has found an attorney, who filed a motion to dismiss.  A hearing is set for March 9, 2018.